


tradition

by TheQueenInTheNorth



Series: lou's fic advent 2019 [1]
Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Kissing, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21630655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/pseuds/TheQueenInTheNorth
Summary: Posy tags along to the mayor's house and spots some mistletoe.
Relationships: Gale Hawthorne & Posy Hawthorne, Gale Hawthorne/Madge Undersee, Madge Undersee & Posy Hawthorne
Series: lou's fic advent 2019 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559053
Comments: 12
Kudos: 78





	tradition

Twelve is gearing up for the Victory Tour and that means more peacekeepers, more security, the fence being on far too often. It means less food on the Hawthornes’ table.

It also means visitors from the Capitol staying at the mayor’s house.

Gale pretends it doesn’t taste of pity when Madge inquires if he’s free to fix a few things around their home before the esteemed guests - she says it with such faux sincerity he almost smiles - arrive. He can’t put any thought towards his pride when Rory’s started to claim not to be hungry so the youngest two can eat their fill. And anyway, it’s not as bad as Mellark offering him baked goods.

So he knocks on the mayor’s door without strawberries to trade and with Posy hanging on his back.

“Vick’s sick and Ma’s swamped as is,”he hastily explains as Madge opens the door. And maybe Posy threw a tantrum or two about wanting to come, but he doesn’t feel like mentioning that.“She won’t be a bother.”

“Hello to you too,”Madge says, raising one eyebrow, a small smile curving her lips.“Posy couldn’t be a bother if she tried, could you, Pose?”

“You didn’t say hi, Gale, that’s a bad manner,”his little sister says gleefully, as if to prove that she absolutely can be a bother. She holds her arms out to Madge.“Hi, Madgey. Gale has no manners.”

Gale is already regretting bringing her and regretting allowing her into Victors’ Village while Katniss’ team was there. Posy had followed around the escort in fascination with her shiny dresses and come back spouting nonsense about manners.

“Oh no!” Madge gives an exaggerated gasp, plucking Posy from his back and tickling her belly.“Do you want some tea, sweetie?”

“Yes, please,”Posy says.

“What should I start with?”Gale asks, feeling out of place as he follows her down the hall.

He’s caught glimpses into the house before. It’s even worse being inside. His own home could fit into it too many times over. There’s season’s decorations everywhere. His father’s old toolbox seems inadequate suddenly, almost laughable.

But Madge doesn’t appear to share his thoughts, pointing out the things that need fixing, entertaining Posy while he’s doing his work, sometimes looking over his shoulder in honest interest, setting cups of tea down beside him. He even accepts the sandwiches that come later; Posy’s very proud of having helped with them.

“There’s balsamic vinegar on them,”she says, quickly looking to Madge to see if she got the word right.

Not that Gale would know if she hadn’t. Whatever it is, it tastes good, though.

They’re bent over the piano later, trying to figure out what is wrong with it. Gale has no clue about pianos, Madge has no clue about fixing things, and somehow they’re getting along over it. Posy meanwhile has gotten bored with it and is playing with a doll Gale is almost certain Madge will insist she take home. It’s hard to even consider trying to deny it when Posy is so delighted with the doll’s long hair.

“It’s this bit, I think,”Madge says, reaching out to show him and brushing his fingers lightly.

He pulls his hand back much too suddenly. He clears his throat and reaches forward again. His pinky touches hers.“This one?”

“Yeah,”she says.

She’s looking at him and not the piano. Her cheeks are a tad flushed.

“What’s that?”Posy wants to know.

They jump apart and turn to the girl. She’s pointing at something over their heads. Gale looks up and pales. So does Madge.

“It’s mistletoe,”she says when Posy repeats her question.

“Oooh,”Posy squeals, hugging the doll close to her chest.“I know about mistletoe! You’re under it so you’ve gotta kiss!” She frowns a little.“Vick says that’s how you get cooties but I think it’s bad manners not to.”

“Oh, no, no -”

“Pose, we’re not gonna -”

“But it’s tradition!” She stomps her foot as if that settles it.“Mistletoe means kisses.”

Madge so pointedly doesn’t look at Gale that it’s almost comical.“It’s just a decoration. You don’t have to kiss if you don’t want to.”

“But Gale does wanna,”Posy says.“Right, Gale?”

He’s too horrified to react. She takes that as a cue to go on.“He does! Rory said -”

Of course Rory couldn’t keep his pointed taunting out of the kids’ earshot.

Gale clamps his hand over Posy’s mouth.“We should leave.”

The little brat licks his hand and he pulls back to wipe her spit off. She dances out of his reach.“Not doing traditions is a bad manner! Probably. I think so, anyway. Madgey, don’t you have manners?”

Gale can’t help himself. He lets out a snort.“Yeah, Undersee, don’t you have manners?”

Madge glares at him but her cheeks are still burning. It’s cute, really.

Before he’s fully worked through that realisation, she takes a step forward, pulls him down by his collar, and brings her lips to his.

It’s soft and sweet and over much too soon. All he can think is that he expected her to taste of strawberries. He leans in for another kiss.

“There’s only one mistletoe!”Posy complains.“That’s just one kiss!”

“Aren’t you the expert on everything?”Gale says.

As is the way with five year olds, his sarcasm flies right over her head. She beams up at him, pleased.“I think there’s another mistletoe in the kitchen, if you want to do more traditioning.”

They exchange a quick look and then pretend she didn’t say that.

But when he’s done with his repairs and Posy is having a nap in an armchair by the fire, they head to the kitchen instead of waking her.

The tea they allegedly went into the kitchen for never makes it into the cups.


End file.
